For the last 30 years or so we in Europe have been on a long road from national autonomy to a single unified governance – although it would really be much better to strive towards worldwide unifichange (...)

(...) from a purely mechanical industry to a complex one incation at the same time.

But when one observes how long the cen- tral European unification process is taking, it is clear to see that at a global level it would hardly go any easier or faster. But in ge- neral terms, people and their mobility needs are very similar, so it should be possible in the longer term to establish at least in ba- sic terms very similar rules. Some ideas on this can be found here:

Just like the transition which other sectors of industry have already gone through, the cycle industry currently finds itself amid the change from a purely mechanical industry to a complex one in which technical competence in software, power electronics, elect- ro-mechanics and electrochemistry are all required. So this means that companies must address new challenges, for example electro- magnetic compatibility. It can be assumed that this transition will require another 10 years. If any manufacturer does not embrace this change promptly they will as a result disappear from the mar- ket, or lose their market position.